Lesson 1: A Way to Get Fit

I. Learning Competency
Sets FITT goals based on training principles to achieve and/or maintain HRF.

II. Motivation

Activity 1: Let Me Think

Directions: Complete the table below by listing all physical activities you have engaged in before and
activities you are engaged in at present.

When I was a kid, I used to… Now I’m a young adult, I do…

What is physical activity? It is any movement made by the muscles of the body that requires exertion of energy
such as running, swimming, dancing, etc. Exercising is considered physical activity but more structured and planned.
Regular physical activity promotes a healthy lifestyle as it improves our health and helps lower risks to illnesses like
cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. It is necessary for us to engage in physical activities to enhance
our level of fitness.

Many of us exercise and do physical activities at home, in school, and at the gym. Some of these include aerobic,
muscle strengthening, and bone strengthening activities, all of which are good for body composition. It is important to
know the nature of these physical activities for a better understanding of what it does to our body.

III. Lesson Proper

Aerobic, Muscle Strengthening, and Bone Strengthening Activities: How Do They Work and Differ?

Aerobic Activities
Aerobic activities are also called “cardio” exercises. Normally, these activities increase our heart and breathing rate. These
activities cause us to sweat profusely, and breathe harder. Our heart pumps blood more vigorously, causing oxygen to
circulate throughout our body. This allows us to sustain our aerobic exercise for a few minutes. Such activities like
jogging, running, swimming and dancing are some examples of aerobic exercises which improve our cardiorespiratory
fitness. It also helps us to prevent disease like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Most aerobic activities
can be done on a daily basis. To be physically fit, it is important to engage in aerobic activities.

Guidelines for Aerobic Exercise

Frequency - Always consider the number of aerobic exercise sessions per week. When doing cardio exercises, especially
to lose weight, frequency is an important factor to make it more effective. Start cardio exercises for at least 3 days a week
for the first few weeks, with not more than 2 days’ rest between sessions. Afterwards, we can gradually increase the
frequency of exercise to 5 days a week.

Intensity – To be effective, aerobic exercises should be done in moderate intensity, that is, our heart rate should be 60 to
80% of our maximum heart rate. First, determine the target heart rate by getting the maximum heart rate and the
recommended heart rate range. This will then tell how hard we should exercise during our training.

Time – More time spent doing aerobic exercises means more calories burned and an increase in endurance. We can at
least do 20 minutes per session at first, then gradually increase it to 60 minutes.

Type - Running, jogging, sprinting, swimming, and playing contact sports such as basketball are some activities that we
can do to improve our heart rate. It is also important to try different exercises and activities to avoid boredom.

Muscle Strengthening Activities

Muscle strengthening activities are exercises in which groups of muscles work or hold against a force or some weight.
Muscle strengthening activities help build good muscle strength. When muscles do more work, it becomes stronger.
Therefore, having strong and healthy muscles enable us to perform everyday physical tasks. With strong and capable
muscles, we can rearrange the furniture in our living room and carry heavy grocery bags from the market to our home.

During muscle strengthening activity, muscle contraction occurs. The repetitive contractions during exercise can
cause damage to the muscle fibers. Our body repairs these muscle fibers when they get damaged. The repair happens after
exercise while muscles are at rest. New muscle fibers are produced to replace or repair those that were damaged. The
muscles in our body then start to grow larger and stronger. This stimulation and repair process is called muscle
hypertrophy. It is important to note that these muscle-strengthening activities—short high intensity exercises—should be
alternately scheduled in a week allowing rebuilding of muscles during rest periods. Ideally, one to two days of rest lets our
muscles rest and recover.

Exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lifting weights are some examples of muscle strengthening activities that
you can do if you want to have strong and lean muscles. Remember that before you start doing these activities, be sure to
do dynamic warm-up to avoid injury.

Bone Strengthening Activities

Bone growth is stimulated by physical stress brought about by physical activity. As skeletal muscles contract, they pull
their attachment on bones causing physical stress. This consequently stimulates bone tissue, making it stronger and
thicker. Such bone strengthening activities can increase bone density throughout our skeletal system. This is called bone
hypertrophy.

Many forms of physical activity like running, skipping rope, and playing basketball help keep our bones fit.
Bones also support groups of muscles to reduce risk of falling. It is important to understand that bone-strengthening
exercises do not only focus on bone health, it also focuses on improving muscle strength, coordination, and balance.

Each strengthening activity mentioned works differently from the other as each focuses on different target areas in the
body. But each contributes to the ultimate goal of being fit. Being fit is important and requires a proper plan and much
effort and discipline. If we want to live healthy, we need to optimize our daily physical activities to achieve our desired
level of fitness.

IV. Assessment

Activity 2: Question Time!

Directions: Answer the following questions below.

1. Differentiate aerobic, muscle strengthening and bone strengthening activities?

2. How do these activities contribute to your overall health? Cite at least 5 benefits.
 3. Explain the importance of Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT) in doing exercise?

V. Summary

Aerobic Activities Muscle Strengthening Activities Bone Strengthening Activities

During aerobic activity, oxygen is
delivered to the muscles in our
body allowing us to sustain the
physical activity for few minutes.
Muscle contraction occurs during
a muscle strengthening activity.
The repetitive contractions during
exercise cause damage to muscle
fibers. However, these muscle
fibers are ready to be repaired
once they get damaged. The repair
of muscle fibers happens after
exercise while muscles are at rest.
There will be new muscle fibers
produced to replace and repair
those fibers that were damaged.
The muscles in the body then start
to grow larger and stronger.
Bone growth is stimulated by
physical stress. As skeletal
muscles contract, they pull their
attachment on bones causing
physical stress. This consequently
stimulates bone tissue, making it
stronger and thicker. Such bone
strengthening activities can
increase bone density throughout
our skeletal system.

VI. References

Bone Hypertrophy. (2016). Retrieved from

http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095517493

Factors Affecting Bone Development, Growth and Repair. Retrieved from

http://www.our-sma-angels.com/crystal/web%20pages/a%20&%20p/bonefacts.htm

Glass, S., Hatzel, B. and Albrecht R. 2 Ways Bone Modeling Occurs Throughout Life: Hypertrophy and
Atrophy.http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/2-ways-bone-modeling-occurs-throughout-life-hypert.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/aerobic_exercise/article.htm

Quinn, Elizabeth. (2016. May 25). 4 Basic Strength Training Principles to Build Muscles. Retrieved from
https://www.verywell.com/basic-strength-training-principles-3120727\

Quinn, Elizabeth. (2016. May 9). What is the Definition of Muscle Hypertrophy? . Retrieved from
https://www.verywell.com/muscle-hypertrophy-definition-3120349

Strengthening Muscles and Bones. Retrieved from

https://www.presidentschallenge.org/motivated/strengthening.shtml

Weil, Richard (MEd,CDE). (2016. Jan 1). Aerobic Exercise. Retrieved from
What is Aerobic Exercise? - Definition, Benefits and Examples. (2016). Retrieved from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-aerobic-exercise-definition-benefits-examples.html